Destiny Calls
by Colonel Jacky ONeill
Summary: Story about Rick's destiny beginning with his childhood
1. Visions of Destiny

Visions of Destiny  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: Rick O'Connell's childhood as an orphan in Cairo where he's confronted with his destiny the first time.  
  
Comments: I never found a story about the mummy character's childhood. Maybe there aren't any so I thought this should change. This won't be the last story :) Thanks to my friend Julia helping me with Rick's former name. I translated the story for MArcher, Shelby, Jennifer and Rachel, you're great. And thanks to MArcher for beta-reading and correcting my mistakes *hug*.  
  
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Stephen Summers except Sadiki, Fatima, Ramses and Ricks parents so far.  
  
"Hurry up, they'll get us." The young woman looked anxiously back to their chasers, while she pulled her five-year-old son through the narrow side roads of Cairo's town center as fast as possible.  
  
"Mum, I'm afraid."  
  
"I know, honey. Come on" she gasped, pain was written all over her face. One of the men hurt her with his knife. The wound didn't bleed very much, but left Emily O'Connell suffering great pain.  
  
The day had not started that bad. The O'Connells, a middle-class family from Chicago, had arrived in Egypt after an apparently endless ship journey where thay had planned to spend their vacation. Emily's father died and inherited them a little wealth. The whole afternoon they had spent at the bazaar, wondering about this strange culture. Near dawn they had made their way to the hotel, but they had never reached it. They got lost because of the many side roads and were attacked by a group of robbers. Emily could escape with her son, but her husband was stabed by the bandits.  
  
Now they ran for their life! Richard who could barely keep step with his mother looked desperately for a place to hide. "This one, mum!", he called suddenly, as he spotted an empty house. They crawled between a few wooden shelves which the former owner of this house had forgotten, or didn't care about. Ten minutes they waited for any sign that their pursuers no longer searched for them. The voices of the angry robbers became quiet and Emily told her son that they could leave their hiding-place without risk. "What are we going to do, Mum?"  
  
"I'll see if your father is still alive. But first I need to make sure you are safe." For hours they wandered through narrow streets 'til they arrived at an orphanage. "Richard, I'll leave you with these people. Behave well, and don't worry about me. I'll come and pick you up as soon as possible." She kissed his cheek and disappeared in the night.  
  
Five years passed and Richard O'Connell never heard anything from his mother. Maybe the robbers had found and killed her, maybe she had died because of her apparently harmless injury before she could call for him. He would never get to know it. But the years went by and he had given up hope of getting away from these people who couldn't even pronounce his name with their broken English and called him Rick. At least the overseer could understand him as he was the only boy whose native language was English.  
  
"I've a belly full of it" he muttered and watched the other side of the street.  
  
"What did you say?" asked Sadiki in a strong Arabic accent, also an orphan and Rick's best friend.  
  
The two boys had climbed onto a roof at the bazaar and hoped one of the donkey carts driving past would lose something edible. The people at the orphanage cared to some extent for them, but they had not enough fare for all the street kids and didn't really bother if one of them starved.  
  
"I said I don't want anymore" Rick shouted. It was hot and he hadn't eaten yet. Two things which made him most angry.  
  
"Did you two already find anything?" a tired voice behind them asked.  
  
Izmael, called Izzy by everyone, laid in the shadow of a sunblind and dreamed of his future. One day he wanted to become a famous pilot, but the other kids thought he was a crank. Rick and Sadiki had enough mercy to feed him as he was too awkward to do so himself.  
  
"There's a cart full of dried fruits" Sadiki told his friends. His plan was simple. He and Rick should slid down the marquee underneath them, snap some of the fruits and run away as fast as possible. "Hey, look at this" Sadiki shouted excitedly and pointed at a tattooed rider in black. "At the time when my father was still alive, he told me stories about those warriors. They call themselves Medjai, maybe some sort of secret cult. My grandfather was one of them, otherwise I would not know about their existence." Rick looked curiously over the roof-edge. The warrior seemed familiar to him, as if he had known him and his fellows for eternity. But he could swear that none of these horsemen ever attracted attention to him.  
  
Wondering, he shook his head. He had no time to think about strange sects as his empty stomach wanted to be filled. "Later, Sadiki. First lunch." The two rushed down the roof and chased after the cart. Each one of them took as much fruit as he could carry and thrust his way through the crowd. They had agreed to muddle through to their hiding-place at the outskirts separately as it would be harder to chase them.  
  
"Thieves" the man on the cart shouted. "They are stealing my fruit."  
  
Rick ran as fast as his legs allowed. He glanced back to look for possible haunters, stumbled over a stone and fell down in front of a four-part British family. The mother and the son, which Rick estimated at 13 years, gave way frightened.  
  
"Go away, you dirty hoodlum" the father, who had a little girl at his hand, ranted at him.  
  
At the sound of his words, tears appeared in Rick's eyes. Not because they had hurt him, actually the man was right. For the first time in a very long time, he heard proper English that reminded him of his own family. "I'm so sorry, sir." he said and stood up.  
  
"Hello, I'm Evelyn and who are you?" the little girl asked smiling.  
  
"Don't talk to this scum, Evy!" her big brother complained and his mother agreed.  
  
"Let's go on, George."  
  
Rick stared after them and saw the girl beckoning him. Something was wrong. Everything seemed to spin around, became unclear and disappeared.  
  
Instead of Cairo's bazaar, he was inside a huge palace. But not only his surroundings, also his appearance had changed. Shocked he stared into the pompous fountain in front of him. Tattoos covered his face, the face of a grown-up. "Phineas?" He turned around. A beautiful woman in a golden robe hastened towards him. "Phineas!" She seemed to mean him. The black-haired beauty spoke in a language he didn't understand. Nevertheless he nodded and followed her. It appeared that she wanted to show him something.  
  
As fast as the vision had come, it disappeared. "Damn, what was that?" Rick shouted and jumped up. Two men he didn't notice grasped him and pulled him away. "Hey, what do you want from me?" He flounced wildly, but had no chance. Terrified he stopped. The men had the same tattoos as the black riders Sadiki had shown him. "Let me off, where are you taking me?" But the men remained silent. Surprised, Rick recognized that they were taking him back to the orphanage. But into a part of the house he didn't know. None of the children were allowed to enter the room of Fatima Yalmar, the owner of the house.  
  
The two men carried him downstairs into a room only lit by a few candles. A shrouded old woman sat praying on the floor but when they entered she looked up. Rick had never seen old Fatima without her shroud, but now she took it off. Her face was also covered with numerous tattoos. 'Where the hell did they bring me?' Rick asked himself.  
  
"Is that the boy you were looking for?" one of the men asked.  
  
"We'll see" the old woman said in a croaking voice. "Sit down, young one."  
  
Hesitantly he took a seat in front of her. "What do you want from me?"  
  
"You'll see soon." Rick looked up to her, full of expectation. "For many years I have had visions of you, O'Connell" the woman started slowly.  
  
'Great!' Rick thought, 'She's crazy.'  
  
"Visions of an American who saves all of us. I have to confess that I don't like the idea that no one of our tribe seems to be the chosen one."  
  
"The chosen one?" Rick who had no idea what she was talking about, asked.  
  
"Although you have been living quite a long time here with us, I waited until you were old enough. Now the time has come." She took Rick's hand and closed her eyes. For a long time she didn't say anything and the boy thought she had fallen asleep, but suddenly she stared at him surprised.  
  
"Tell us, Fatima. How can an American be our savior?" one of the men wanted to know.  
  
The old woman stood up and walked towards the two Medjai. They spoke in hushed Arabic so that Rick could not understand them.  
  
"The prophecy says it would be a stranger from the west. Furthermore he was once one of us. I was surprised myself, but it's true. The little one is the reincarnation of Phineas, the bodyguard of Princess Nefertiri. As you know he was, at Sethos' time, one of the most talented Medjai's around."  
  
"Phineas?" one of the men shouted angrily. "Don't speak about him as if he was a hero. As YOU know he didn't follow Pharaoh's orders and was moreover the secret lover of the princess. That transgresses the code of the Medjai!"  
  
"Maybe he did make some mistakes in the past, but now he's another person."  
  
"But the soul never changes..."  
  
"And if my visions and the prophecies of the elders are true, he's the only hope of mankind against a superior enemy. I can't tell you which evil will infest us, but he'll defeat it."  
  
The two men gave up. "Maybe you're right, Fatima. As a precaution we should give him the sign."  
  
"Right."  
  
She came back to Rick who looked up at her saucer eyed. The men griped him from behind and pulled away his right sleeve.  
  
"What are you doing?" Rick asked shocked as he noticed Fatima coming towards him with a blackened needle.  
  
"It'll hurt, O'Connell. But a brave warrior as you will endure it. In my visions I heard a voice telling me to give you this sign at the age of ten so that our brothers will recognize you when the day of judgement has come. Drink this, it will soothe the pain." She offered Rick a silver goblet with a strange liquid. "If someday a Medjai asks you for the watchwords you'll know the answer." She whispered some Arabic words in his ear, but they didn't make any sense to him. It seemed to be part of a shibboleth.  
  
Sweat ran down his forehead while Fatima scratched the skin of his forearm with the needle she had dipped into black paint. 'Everybody will start to think I'm member of this crazy sect.' Rick thought shocked and watched the work of the Medjai. An hour later the tattoo was finished and the paint dry. Rick looked at it with fascination and horror at the same time. In the middle there was a pyramid with an eye inside, surrounded by two big snakes wearing crowns of Egypt rulers. "What does this mean?" Rick asked the old woman.  
  
"Protector of man"  
  
'Oh my goodness.' then he spoke, "Can I go now?"  
  
"Of course. And don't worry. You'll see when the time has come."  
  
The two Medjai escorted Rick outside. "It's not as easy as Fatima says, little one. You have to prove your abilities."  
  
"Yeah, alright" Rick muttered and ran away. What did these guys want from him? Should he join this sect as a kind of redeemer? 'Never!' he swore himself. He had other problems besides letting himself be worshiped. He searched for something to cover his tattoo. A few minutes later he found a piece of leather he could tie around his wrist. Apparently one of the traders had lost it. On his way to the secret hiding-place he thought abou the strange experience with that little girl and his following vision. Was there any connection between her and his vision? After all he had never felt anything like this before. His stomach protested loudly and he hurried to get to his friends. He could also think about this vision after dinner. Quickly he climbed up a small hill on the outskirts of Cairo where the three boys had built a cave. Carefully he entered the small entrance.  
  
"Rick, where have you been so long? We thought someone caught you." Sadiki threw some fruit to him. "I see from your booty you didn't save anything."  
  
"I've been held up." Rick defensed himself. "Tomorrow I'll care for food, okay?"  
  
Izzy looked up from his meal and pointed at Rick's arm. "Did you get hurt?"  
  
Rick smiled nervously. "I thought it looks kind of dashing."  
  
Sadiki shook his head in disbelief while Izzy gave him a stupid grin.  
  
After the meal Rick climbed outside the cave and watched the sunset. He had never felt any connection to this country but he loved the way the colors of the setting sun touched the sand. In such moments he felt like the last human being on earth. He couldn't remember his life in Chicago and even if his mother was still alive, he wouldn't recognize her most likely. The only things that mattered were his friends, their daily fight to survive and a prophesied future he didn't understand.  
  
End 


	2. Discovery

Discovery  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: After escaping from death Rick and Sadiki have a kind of spooky meeting.  
  
Comment: I was writing the next fanfiction when I noticed that THIS story is missing to understand the other one. This mummy will become important for Sadiki's, Rick's and Evy's future.  
  
"Sadiki, hurry up or do you want to lose your head?"  
  
Rick O'Connell ran into a narrow street followed by his Arabic friend. The 15-year old American searched for a way to get onto the roofs of Cairo's town center. Up there the angry, sabre-rattling men wouldn't follow them certainly.  
  
"Why should I hurry? Actually they only want to catch you! Who had this ingenious idea to steal something from the traders? You know how they deal with thieves, Rick."  
  
"But I needed this bracelet." Don't you think everyone will see this damn tattoo?It's not my fault that this stupid piece of leather got smashed."  
  
Breathing heavily, Sadiki climbed up a little wall at the end of the street. "Why do you want to hide it, anyway? It's nothing to be ashamed of. I would be proud to have the tattoo of the Medjai."  
  
"Shut up and come." Rick pulled his friend up the last piece of the wall. Happy to be rid of their pursuers, the two boys went to the outskirts of the city.  
  
"And what do we do now?", Sadiki asked gasping for air.  
  
Rick proudly showed him the loot, a bracelet of solid leather. "This one won't break that easily."  
  
"But it's too big for you, you fool! And for this thing they neraly killed us!"  
  
"Come on, we're still alive." Rick walked a few steps around and disappeared suddenly. Instead of the boy there was a big hole in the sand.  
  
"Rick, you okay?" Sadiki went quickly to the edge of the opening and looked down into the darkness. The pit wasn't very deep and his friend didn't seem to be hurt.  
  
"Yes, come down here and look at this. It's kind of a tunnel. According to you, where does it lead?"  
  
"To tell you the truth I don't want to know that. Surely Izzy is waiting for us." Although the boy climbed down to his friend.  
  
"Sadiki, there are hieroglyphics on the walls. Maybe we will find some gold."  
  
"If you say so. But don't tell me you can read this."  
  
Rick looked at him critically. "Of course not, but it's a clue that there could be treasure here!"  
  
Carefully they walked through the darkness into the depth. Fortunately the passage wasn't very long and sunlight still shone through the hole. The tunnel ended in a roomy chamber which was empty except for a golden chest in the middle of the room.  
  
"What could be inside?" Rick asked as he walked towards it.  
  
"Wait, it's a sarcophagus!" Sadiki shouted but Rick had already opened it a bit  
  
"Man, it's damn heavy!" Scared, he jumped back when he looked at the blank face of a mummy. "What the heck...?", he asked once he had overcome his shock. "I swear this thing opened mostly by itself. I don't have enough strength to move that lid alone."  
  
"Something is wrong here", Sadiki told him like an expert. "I don't know much about it, but I know only important people had splendid sarcophagi like this one. Who buried a Pharaoh in a hole like this? They had pyramids and other stuff."  
  
Trembling, Rick took a few steps backwards. Suddenly he was no longer as brave as before and just wanted to get out of this place. "Let's go, Sadiki. As you can see, there is no gold here except for this sarcophagus. And I don't think this guy wants to resign his bed." "Give me just a moment, I want to check something."  
  
Sadiki approached the coffin and looked into it. The mummy seemed to stare at him through its empty eye sockets.The boy could hardly take his gaze away from the mummified corpse. "Rick, look at this. It's fascinating. I think he was murdered, whoever this guy is. The skull is damaged as though someone had hit him very hard over his head."  
  
Suddenly Sadiki felt an icy whiff on his face although it was stuffy, hot and calm in the crypt. Did he just imagine it, or did the unknown dead breathe just now? Sadiki rubbed his eyes in disbelief an looked again at the mummy. But it lay in its sarcophagus without any reaction.  
  
"I don't like this thing", Rick grumbled and turned to the exit. "Can we go now?"  
  
"Okay, let's beat it." Now even Sadiki was anxious. "But we should cover the hole so nobody will find the crypt. When we're grown up we can be famous with this discovery."  
  
"When you believe it." Quickly, Rick climbed outside and helped his friend. Together they poured sand into the pit until nothing was to be seen of it.  
  
"I hope nobody will fall into it." Sadiki said and tried to memorize the surrounding area so he would be able to find the tomb in a few years.  
  
"Let's go home" Rick shouted and hurried to get away.  
  
Sadiki took a last look at the place where a few minutes ago the opening had been. Still he saw the eye sockets in front of him which seemed to stare hypnotically. "I'm coming!" he shouted after Rick. Surely he just imagined everything. Or he was losing his mind? This was enough adventure for one day and he followed his friend.  
  
Beneath the sand an unearthly laughter resounded, the two boys were unable to hear it.  
  
End 


	3. Dark Times

Dark Times  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: Rick had had his dark side 3000 years ago. Sadiki's is just about to come to the surface. Can he believe in someone, who killed him in his former life? He joins Ramses who had sworn deadly vengeance to Rick which has just started.... and won't be over too quickly.  
  
Comments: Of course I know the real historic facts e.g. Ramses' wife was Nefertari and she wasn't his sister, but I changed everything a bit for my story. And I wanted to keep the facts of the movies and there was only a Nefertiri. Hope you don't mind ;-)  
  
Gasping he ran through a maze of corridors. He didn't know where he was nor how he had come here. Something persecuted him.  
  
On the walls there were some torches not giving enough light to see much, but he sensed that he was not alone although he hadn't seen anyone the last few minutes. From behind he could hear a hushed clicking as if a claw would latch. Scared he looked around the big hall he had entered just now.  
  
His instinct warned him, told him that something very old, very evil lived here. At the other end of the room there was a stone altar to sacrifice people and a pyramid with an eye at the inside above it. He knew that sign somehow but he paid attention to something else. On the altar lay a young woman enchained on hands and feet.  
  
Carefully he approached the person, craving she was still alive. But when he broke the first chain he heard an eerie roar from behind. Fitfully he turned around and stared at the creature which came screaming towards him. This monster, half human and half scorpion, seemed to be very angry because of him.  
  
Defenseless the brave warrior searched for a useful weapon, but without success. Now the beast was above him and its deadly tail rushed down on him.  
  
Screaming Rick O'Connell wake up and hit his head on the beam of the marquee under which he had searched for protection of the merciless burning sun. Immediately Sadiki was at his side and inquired after the welfare of his friend.  
  
"Again such a dream?" the Arabian boy asked pitifully.  
  
Grumbling Rick rubbed his head.  
  
"It has never been as bad as this time before, Sadiki", he informed the concerned boy. "This time this monster even killed me." Rick stood up and watched over the bazaar of Cairo.  
  
The two boys had lain in the shadow to do a little catnap, but now Rick regretted that he had fallen asleep.  
  
"Furthermore he had a woman as hostage. I know her from somewhere, but I didn't recognize her. And I saw this on a wall."  
  
Gingerly he took away the leathern bracelet, which adorned his wrist. Two years ago he had stolen it from a trader and had barely escaped with his life.  
  
So far he had only intrusted his secret to Sadiki: A tattoo on his forearm he got from an old Medjai woman who thought he was some kind of protector of mankind seven years ago. Actually all Medjai had believed in this, but since this time none of them had spoken to him. And he was glad about it.  
  
Now the orphan from Chicago was seventeen and thought rarely back at this time when he woke up every second night, afflicted with strange visions. Anyway it had been rarely before he had dreamed the first time of this scorpion man two weeks ago.  
  
"Perhaps it has something to do with your destination", Sadiki presumed.  
  
Rick rolled his eyes. In such moments he wished that he had never told this to his friend. Sadiki's grandfather had been a Medjai and the boy also wanted to become one. Which means he was convinced Rick would save the world one day. But for the "chosen one" his behavior was embarassing.  
  
You could tell Sadiki anything connected with Medjai, destiny and fate. He would believe it without thinking.  
  
He'll surely become a good Medjai, Rick thought. He is as fanatic as them.  
  
"Would you stop it. This shall be my future? Creatures like this doesn't exist."  
  
The American went to the edge of the roof they were sitting on.  
  
"Besides I'm not planning to become a Medjai, even if it's part of my so called destiny. Learning how to fight is okay, but I prefer joining this guys."  
  
He pointed at some legionaries marching proudly over the square. Sadiki shook his head in disbelief.  
  
"You rather join the French Foreign Legion than the Medjai?"  
  
"I've lived here long enough. With them I can see the world and have some adventures in other countries."  
  
Regretfully Sadiki noticed that Rick intented on doing this and he wouldn't be able to do anything against it. Three months ago their friend Izyy had left to become a pilot in Morocco. And know Rick would go.  
  
Probably the best time to become a Medjai, he thought, followed his friend into an empty house which was their harbor for two years and sat down in one of the corners.  
  
"Hey Rick, when you see yourself in this dreams grown up maybe it's really some sort of vision of the future. You should come with me to the Medjai camp. They sure know what it means."  
  
Rick turned around to face him with anger in his eyes. "I won't be pierced by a gigantic scorpion man, that's for sure. I don't want to hear it again." This naivity and thesuperstition of the Medjai will someday be his doom, the American thought and hurried outside.  
  
Sadiki was quite happy about it. He was tired and didn't want to argue. Tomorrow I'll ask the Medjai for an entrance examination, he thought and was asleep when it started to dawn.  
  
The light of the torches made shadows along the corridor he was going through. Golden statues of different gods bordered the way before him.  
  
"Tsenari, there you are."  
  
Sadiki turned around in bewilderment as he saw a huge warrior coming towards him, his face covered with tattooes.  
  
"What's the matter, Phineas?", he asked. How do I know his name?, Sadiki was wondering. And why does he call me Tsenari? "Queen Nefertiri wants to speak to you."  
  
When the warrior approximated Sadiki noticed horrified that it was nobody else than his best friend Rick. Hesitantly he followed the Medjai into Nefertiri's chambers. The beautiful mistress of the pharaoh lolled lovely smiling in a golden chair, a cat lay at her feet. Phineas' weapons were dispersed on her bed.  
  
Sadiki took a bow before the queen and waited that she told him why she had invited him to come. Instead of speaking she dumbly pointed at her bodyguard. So he rose to speak.  
  
"Well, what are you actually doing here, Phineas?", Sadiki heard himself asking. The words just went out of his mouth, without any thoughts about what he was saying. "I thought you guard Imhoteps tomb tonight."  
  
"Tsenari, you know why I'm here. Someone I trusted broke his promise.", Phineas answered grimly.  
  
Sadiki didn't know what the warrior meant, but his expression displeased him. Searching for help he turned around to Nefertiri. "Your Majesty, what does that mean?"  
  
She returned his gaze icy. "Medjai, you don't have a clue. You don't know the feeling of being owned by a person you don't love", she muttered and stroke her cat." What do they actually want from me?, Sadiki who doesn't understand anything asked himself.  
  
"I am sorry, Tsenari.", Phineas said with sorrow in his voice. "I thought you would understand it. You were one of my best men, a loyal Medjai, always abide by the orders. Unfortunately they were more important for you than to keep a promise you gave your commanding officer, your friend. You are a true Medjai, serve Osiris as you served your pharaoh."  
  
Faster than Sadiki could react Phineas gripped one of his swords and pulled it into his stomach. Though, he wasn't dead immediately and could listen to the discussion of his murderer and Nefertiri about a suitable hiding-place for his corpse. When everything started to become black around him, he could barely recognize that the door was pushed open and the pharaoh came in seething with anger.  
  
Suddenly the surrounding changed and Sadiki was in the tomb of the unknown Rick and himself had discovered two years ago. "If you want to know what just now had happened, come to me. Don't be afraid. I've totell you something very important." The voice became silent and Sadiki woke up.  
  
It had to be early, because the sun was just about to rise. Sadiki covered the aching part of his stomach with his hand where Phineas sword had been stuck. The dream has been so real, he felt like he had died in fact. Angry he walked towards the still sleeping Rick and shook him ungently.  
  
"Sadiki, are you crazy? What's the point?", the American shouted, terrified to wake up so violent.  
  
"No. You tell me what the point is, Rick. You had all this great visions. So you know what's going on. Tell me why you killed me. I also had a little insight into my former life nad was murdered by you."  
  
"Oh yes, you Medjai believe in this reincarnation stuff. Only because I had visions as a child and now this weird dreams doesn't mean I have already lived in early times. I didn't kill you and you know for sure that I don't belive in this mischief. So please stop start over, okay? I'm not interested in what may happen in a few years and not at all if I've lived once 3000 years ago."  
  
"Believe it or not, Rick. You are a murderer. My grandfather always told me that the soul never changes. And before you try to kill me in this life I'll find out what the reason might be."  
  
"Wait, you can't just." But Sadiki ran outside.  
  
While he uncovered the entrance of the subterranean tomb, Sadiki suddenly wasn't quite sure if it was right what he was doing. He knew Rick for many years and couldn't pretend his friend was a murderer.  
  
But he let them drill him, he thought embittered. The legionaries will turn him into a killer. Carefully he climbed down into the dark corridor. Slowly he sneaked forwards ant entered the baldy room with the golden sarcophagus in the middle. Hesitantly he looked around.  
  
What do I expect to find here? Sadiki approximated the opened stone coffin and looked inside. It was empty. Where is the mummy? He thought surprised and turned around. What he saw there let his blood freeze. The mummy supposed to lie in its tomb stood there and waved its hand in front of his face. "That.that can't be true", Sadiki stammered and flinched away.  
  
"Just believe it, Tsenari. Your pharaoh lives again", the mummy shouted with a booming voice.  
  
Although the creature spoke ancient Egyptian Sadiki could understand every single word to his wonderment. "You can't remember your former life, Tsenari. I know that. But I recognized you two years ago when you and your friend found me. I'm Ramses II, ruler of Egypt and you're my loyal bodyguard, Medjai. Serve me again and I'll keep you alive."  
  
Wondering Sadiki studied the pharaoh's mummy. "I'm not a Medjai, not yet."  
  
Laughing Ramses looked at the young man. "Of course not, but you were one long ago. I hoped you would return to my grave so I could speak to you. But first I had to give you an insight into your previous life, because otherwise you hadn't come back."  
  
"That was you? How can you control my dreams?", Sadiki asked hesistantly.  
  
"When you looked into my eyes two years ago a piece of my soul became a part of you. I've waited until you're ready to become once again a Medjai. Now the time is here."  
  
Horrified about the news that the soul of a dead invaded him Sadiki shook his head. "That's impossible."  
  
"Don't be afraid. The ones you have to fear lurk out there."  
  
"You mean Rick? Did he really kill me at that time?" the boy whose curiosity was bigger than his fear of this creature wanted to know. The pharaoh let out an unhuman growl.  
  
"I was betrayed, tricked and murdered as you, my faithful Tsenari." Uncomprehendingly he watched the walking corpse. "You will soon understand it. Now that you decided to become a Medjai you will get more visions of your former life without my help."  
  
Ramses gritted his teeth and began to tell the boy his story. "I start at the beginning so you'll understand it. I loved my sister and wife Nefertiri beyond all measure. But one day you came to me and reported she had a secret lover, a high-ranked Medjai called Phineas. And that since the time before I made her my wife when our father Seti was still alive. Apparently you promised to keep it a secret, you two were good friends. But the loyalty to your pharaoh was stronger. As reward for your 'treachery' I promoted you as leader of the Medjai and gave you the order to execute Phineas and my disloyal wife. But the two were faster and killed you as punishment. I was the next victim. All Medjais I could ever trust. All but Phineas."  
  
He spat the name out as if he had eaten something spoiled. "The treacherous Medjai who had sworn eternal obedience brought me here and slew me." Sadiki looked at the mummy bewildered. "Because of that I'm buried here instead of the Valley of the Kings where I could have ascended into my next life with the help of the right rituals. Instead of Phineas cursed my soul, so I can never leave this cave. I can nevr die nor go outside without anti-curse."  
  
"What a cruel fate", Sadiki murmured. "And what do you want from me?"  
  
Ramses brought about a savage grin. "Therefore I'm cursed forever Phineas and Nefertiri shall not have any joy in their life."  
  
"But.but", stammered Sadiki blind to.  
  
"It won't be hard to find them", the pharaoh snarled. "Phineas you've already found. Now only Nefertiri is missing. This also shouldn't be a problem. Some souls which were connected in the past days find together without any help. It's your task to find them and to bring them to me so they can release me." "And when they can't do it?" "The I'll have my revenge after all."  
  
Sadiki bit his lower lip. "And how shall I do this? Rick is after all the protector of mankind, he won't let himself get caught this easy. Besides he's my friend."  
  
Ramses burst out into a clangerous laughing. "Did the Medjai tell you that? They are very much mistaken. How could a murderer and traitor save the world from perdition? The rumor about a former Medjai who would come to save the world already went round when I was alive and the world still exists. Medjai can be mistaken, but not a pharaoh chosen by the gods to rule the land wisely. And don't worry about how to bring him here. He trusts you."  
  
"So I shall lead him into a trap."  
  
"Either you destroy him or he destroys you. It's your decision."  
  
"Maybe I can preserve him from the destiny to become like Phineas. I just have to convince him not to join the Foreign Legion."  
  
With this words Sadiki ran outside to stop his friend. Ramses stared after him and lay back in his sarcophagus. He could just follow the boy in his mind.  
  
"Rick, are you here?" Sadiki raged into the skimpy furnished stone house, but didn't find a clue of his friend. On the floor lay a note he hastily unfurled.  
  
I'm sorry that I couldn't say goodbye to you personally, but you were undiscoverable. Today I'll travel to French with a garrison of the legionaries. They finished their duty and return to their home. One of the officers will bring me to the office of recruitment. Don't worry about me. I hope you'll manage to become a Medjai. All the best, Rick.  
  
Damn it, I'm too late, Sadiki thought disappointed. Now he couldn't prevent his friend of becoming a murderer. "You should go to the Medjai and let them train you. That had always been your wish. It's the only chance to survive against Phineas."  
  
Surprised Sadiki looked around the room. "Ramses, is that you?" "I told you that a part of my soul is with you. I can communicate with you over a large distance. Now follow your destiny and become a Medjai how it's meant to be. You'll need the experience in battle." Sadiki nodded sadly, blind trusting this monster. "Yes, maybe you're right."  
  
End 


End file.
